Mar. 5, 2015

Nov. 9, 2014

Author's Note by Edward O Wilson describes why he credits the 1942 edition of Handbook for Boys, official guide of the Boy Scouts of America, for his secondary education; contends books expresses best of the American ethos as it was in the middle of the 20th century, unparalleled for its brilliance of pedagogy and its uncompromising declaration of democratic ideals. MORE

Jul. 1, 2014

Boy at San Diego Boy Scout camp dies from gunshot wound to the head, and police are investigating whether the shooting was self-inflicted or accidental; officials are unclear as to how gun had gotten into camp, which offered no firearms activities. MORE

Jun. 30, 2014

Members of Boy Scouts of America in full uniform, wearing rainbow neckerchiefs, march in New York City's annual Gay Pride parade; came to mark breakthrough vote by Boy Scouts ending decades-old policy of prohibiting openly gay youths from being scouts. MORE

Jun. 11, 2014

Attorney General Eric H Holder Jr sharply criticizes the Boy Scouts of America’s policy that bans gay scout leaders, calling it relic of an age of prejudice and insufficient understanding. MORE

May. 23, 2014

Robert M Gates, former secretary of defense and director of Central Intelligence Agency, is elected president of Boy Scouts of America, formally taking leadership of organization that continues to be roiled by its policy on gay Scouts and leaders. MORE

May. 9, 2014

Boy Scouts policy to allow openly gay youths to participate in scouting, while continuing to exclude gay leaders age 18 and over, has brought Scouts only more ire from all directions and produced a house divided; awkwardness of compromise has emboldened gay scouts to step forward, but conservatives have been no less vehement. MORE

Apr. 22, 2014

Boy Scouts of America, which voted in 2013 to allow gay scouts but not openly gay scout leaders, revokes charter of troop sponsored by Rainier Beach United Methodist Church in Seattle, Wash, for refusing to fire its adult gay scoutmaster Geoffrey McGrath; decision essentially bars the church and its 15 scouts from using logos, uniforms or names associated with the Boy Scouts as long as McGrath remains in charge. MORE

Apr. 2, 2014

Boy Scouts of America dismisses Geoffrey McGrath, gay scoutmaster in Seattle who is married to his longtime companion, nearly a year after announcing that it would admit gay scouts but still prohibit openly gay leaders. MORE

Feb. 1, 2014

Utah prosecutors file felony charges against former Boy Scout leaders Glenn Taylor and David Hall, who are accused of toppling an ancient rock formation at Goblin Valley State Park. MORE

Jan. 3, 2014

Editorial welcomes decision by Boy Scouts of America to allow openly gay boys to participate in group’s activities as of 2014; urges Robert Gates, former defense secretary and new president of the national organization, to fully renounce discrimination and allow gay troop leaders also. MORE

Oct. 19, 2013

Utah authorities are mulling whether to charge a Boy Scout leader who knocked over an ancient desert rock formation and the two men who cheered him on after they posted video of incident online; two of the men, who were leading a group of 14- to 16-year-old scouts on a trip, said the top of the rock formation was loose and they feared it was dangerous. MORE

Jun. 4, 2013

Protracted debate over whether to allow gay scouts and scout leaders into the Boy Scouts is benefiting alternative groups geared to secular and religious alike; result is surge of enrollments in growing number of independent outdoor and character-building programs as parents seek to sever ties with Boy Scouts either for voting to allow gay youths into program or because they are indignant that organization has moved slowly to adopt more inclusive policies. MORE

May. 24, 2013

Boy Scouts of America ends its longstanding policy of forbidding openly gay youths to participate in its activities, while continuing its policy of excluding openly gay adult leaders; decision comes after years of resistance and wrenching internal debate, and is widely seen as milestone for the Scouts, symbol of traditional America. MORE

May. 24, 2013

Editorial welcomes decision by Boy Scouts of America to discard part of its discriminatory policies about gay Americans and allow openly gay boys to participate in its activities, but charges that forbidding gay troop leaders still sends poor message to youngsters. MORE

May. 23, 2013

Boy Scout leaders from around country, engulfed in culture war over homosexuality, gather in Grapevine, Tex, for vote on landmark proposal that would permit openly gay youths, but not openly gay adult leaders, to participate in scouting. MORE

May. 7, 2013

Frank Bruni Op-Ed column contends debate surrounding Boy Scouts of America's ban on gay scouts and leaders has been dominated by 'religious right,' who condemn homosexuality, at expense of country's large population of moderate and liberal Christians; holds religion should not be equated with conservatism, since there are many Americans of faith who believe strongly in equality and inclusiveness. MORE

Apr. 27, 2013

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints declares its support for Boy Scouts of America's proposal to end longstanding ban on openly gay youths, while continuing to bar gay adult leaders; church is country's largest sponsor of scout troops, and its support is strong indication that proposed change will be adopted. MORE

Apr. 20, 2013

Boy Scouts of America proposes ending its longstanding ban on openly gay scouts but continuing to bar gay adults from serving as leaders; decision must be approved by roughly 1,400 voting members of Scouts' National Council. MORE

Apr. 17, 2013

Boy Scout troop in Buffalo, NY, have met in scout-built log cabin nestled in basement of Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church for last 85 years; but church leaders dismantle cabin for $7 million rehabilitation that will turn much of space into 23 apartments; church plans to rebuild cabin inside its Community House, but some fear cabin's essence and spirit will be forever lost. MORE

Mar. 13, 2013

Boy Scouts of America sends out 1.1 million surveys to parents and scouts as it continues to grapple with whether to rescind ban on gay members and leaders; questionnaires features detailed questions concerning how exactly shift might occur. MORE

Feb. 9, 2013

Leak from inside Boy Scouts of America about discussions on possibly ending group’s national ban on gay members, which led many to think change was imminent, has thwarted executive board's plan to decide matter out of public eye; officials confirm that decision will be deferred until organization's national meeting in May 2013.. MORE

Feb. 7, 2013

Boy Scouts of America, which earlier said it was reconsidering a ban on participation by openly gay people, will put off decision until May 2013. MORE

Feb. 5, 2013

Proposed shift by Boy Scouts of America to drop its national ban on gay leaders and scouts, and allow local scout units to decide for themselves, is center of attention as organization’s national board gathers for three-day meeting and vote on issue. MORE

Feb. 3, 2013

Texas Gov Rick Perry, speaking at gathering of Boy Scouts of America, says organization should not soften its strict policy barring gay members; dismisses idea of bending it to whims of 'popular culture.' MORE

Jan. 30, 2013

Proposed shift by Boy Scouts of America away from its national policy banning gays has sown fierce debate in the scouting community; change would leave decision of whether to accept gays in the hands of local councils. MORE

Jan. 30, 2013

Editorial on Boy Scouts of America's announcement that is considering ending its ban on gay members; laments, however, that change organization is contemplating falls far short of clear and strong renunciation of antigay bigotry that is called for. MORE

Jan. 29, 2013

Boy Scouts of America says it is reconsidering its ban on gays; under proposed policy, decision on whether to allow openly gay scouts or scout leaders would be left to local chapters. MORE

Jan. 9, 2013

Oct. 20, 2012

Editorial notes Boy Scouts of America have been forced to publish their 'perversion files', database by which they attempted to track and block scout leaders who were known sexual predators and child abusers; holds Scouts had no right to protect such criminals from legal action, and that their attempt to do so calls into question their stated values. MORE

Oct. 19, 2012

Details of decades of sexual abuse in Boy Scouts of America, and what child welfare experts say was a corrosive culture of secrecy that compounded damage, are cast into full public view for the first time with release of thousands of pages of documents describing abuse accusations nationwide. MORE

Oct. 18, 2012

Mormon Church and Boy Scouts have enjoyed unusual partnership since 1913, with Church encouraging all male youths to join scouting as a way to prepare them for missionary stints and adulthood as lay priests. MORE

Sep. 26, 2012

Boy Scouts of America issues a report by psychiatry professor Janet Warren, who reviewed internal files about inappropriate sexual behavior by youth leaders and found what she calls a 'good faith effort' to protect boys from harm; group is facing attention in coming weeks from the court-ordered release of the files. MORE

Jul. 20, 2012

Editorial criticizes the Boy Scouts of America for reaffirming its retrograde policy of barring gay boys from membership and gay and lesbian adults from serving as leaders; calls on Congress and Pres Obama to sever ties with the organization, and on presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney to restate his belief that the organization should be open to all, regardless of sexual orientation. MORE

Jul. 18, 2012

Boy Scouts of America reaffirms its longtime policy of barring openly gay boys from membership and gay or lesbian adults from serving as leaders; decision comes after what the organization describes as a wide-ranging internal review, and despite public protests. MORE

Jun. 15, 2012

Oregon Supreme Court clears the way for the release of thousands of pages of documents detailing accusations and investigations of sexual abuse or other improprieties by Boy Scout leaders around the nation from the mid-1960s into the 1980s. MORE

June 11, 2014, Wednesday

Robert M. Gates, who supported the repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gay men and lesbians serving openly in the military, formally takes leadership of an organization that continues to be roiled by its policy on gay Scouts and...

May 23, 2014, Friday

An awkward Boy Scouts policy — don’t-ask-don’t-tell silence on the one hand, and a supposedly welcoming embrace on the other, with an 18th birthday dividing the two — has emboldened and angered gay Scouts.